Canada Day

This year we decided to go right into down town Ottawa to see the Canada Day festivities.  It's really silly that after 13 years in this city we have never done that. Usually we try to avoid that kind of big crowds, and like to relax in a park in the shade, or go to a smaller town such as Merrickville, where it may be busy, but not trapped-in-a-crowd busy.

The weather forecast was for clear skies and hot and humid weather. There is no shade at all on Parliament Hill, and I burn, and I mean quickly, and getting a good view of the main stage means getting there very early. Those two issues just do not work together well.

I had a look at the NCC website for the festivities this year, and there were activities listed for four different parks as well as for Sparks street. All those areas are within a reasonable walking distance from each other, with the exception of Jacques Cartier Park, which is on the other side of the river, and usually they provide free public transport on Canada Day. 

We hemmed and hawed over coffee in the morning, figuring that with the visit of the Royals crowds would be bigger than normal. But our office building is just on the edge of the day's road closures, and we have reserved parking there, so we got in the car with fanny pack instead of purse, sunscreen and the absolute minimum in camera equipment.

Once in town we walked along Sparks to Metcalfe which is directly in front of the Peace Tower to check out the situation. The crowd had already spilled across Wellington and was starting to back-fill Metcalfe street. There was a decent view of the stage, but there was no unoccupied shade and still about two hours until the noon show, and already it was difficult to leave the area again despite the fact that all streets were closed to traffic. So after a few pictures we moved on along Sparks to Elgin Street.

 Corner of Wellington and Metcalfe street, packed with people two hours before the noon show.

At the war memorial people were getting their pictures taken next to the soldiers standing honour guard. The poor guards looked like they were going to explode from heat in their uniforms. This guard was instituted a few years ago when at the end of the evening some people were discovered peeing on the monument, causing a public outcry.

War memorial and tomb of the unknown soldier with Canada Day honour guard. The NCC needs to issue their guys insect repellent? 

From the elevated north end of the war memorial we got a good view of the crowd and the secondary big screen set up on the lawn of the East Block. But, what little shade there was, was already occupied by people who had arrived earlier.

East Block seen from the War Memorial

Wellington was closed off, we could not cross it, so we made our way to the canal. At the top of the stairs a group of Hare Krishnas had set up a stand and a sound system, trying to compete with the noise of the crowd.  We went down and crossed under the road to the Ottawa locks, and over their doors to the other side of the water. From there we followed a path up to the National Gallery and Majors Hill Park.

Stairs down to the canal, Chateau Laurier in the background.

Once we got in the park one of the first things we saw was a lemonade stand. Climbing the path up the cliff was hard work in that heat, so even though they were charging six dollars for the juice of half a lemon with water and some sugar, we happily got one.

Shaken, not stirred.

The north end of Major's Hill Park with Notre Dame in the background.

We spent time looking at all the kiosks and the entertainment going on. There were artists, dancers, drummers, facepainters and plenty of food and ice cream at the snack stands. We tried to make a trip through the park in such a way as to see everything, but at some point we picked a path that led us out of the park and onto MacKenzie Avenue. Barricades lined the streets, and people were patiently standing along the barricades, all looking to the left while the road was closed to traffic. Cops stood in front of the crowds at short intervals.

And then the penny dropped.

The royals were about to pass on their way to Parliament Hill for the noonday show opening. We actually managed to find a spot in the shade of a tree with also some shorter people in front of us, and waited to see what would happen.  After a little wait, first there was a "false alarm". Two bicycle cops that were very enthusiastically greeted by the crowd, and grinning their heads off, made their way by and then back again. (Scouting for problems?) Then a little while later two batches of limos with tinted windows passed by. Then motorcycle cops going pretty slow, and then the RCMP in full dress uniform on horseback with lances with red and white pennants. Next came the landau with Will and Kate and Governor General David Johnston and his wife. Two mounties were somehow stuffed on the back of the thing on a bench that really is more like a luggage rack. Then more mounties on horseback, and then more motorcycle cops.

Mounties as they are known best.

Some famous newlyweds.

We turned around and made our way back into the park that we had not planned to leave in the first place. We were not able to find the fantastic BBQ places advertised on the website and the program (but plenty of hot dog and sausage stands) and were about to descend the path to the cliff to try our luck in another place, when the first of a 21 gun salute was fired on the hill, and scared the crap out of me. The sound reverberated off the National Gallery, and was pretty loud. We were not able to spot the guns, but each time one went off you could see the smoke rise.

Smoke from the 21 gun salute.

We descended the path and as we did four CF-18 fighter jets made a flyby. There was no getting ready with the camera. and even though we stood and waited  to see if they would do it again, they did not return. You can see them here.

 Parliament Hill from the path behind Major's Hill Park. The entrance to the Ottawa locks is on the left hidden from view by the trees.

We arrived at the bottom of the path and crossed back over the locks when we heard airplane engines again. This time it was the Snowbirds' turn to show off. Usually we see them coming over our house on Canada Day, either on their way to the show, or executing a turn, I don't know. They used coloured smoke, turned around somewhere over Gatineau, and came back over Parliament with more coloured smoke.

The snowbirds, one hidden on the left behind the trees.

 

Back towards the hill.

 

Breaking formation.

The point of this maneuver was to  have the planes appear from behind the Peace Tower for the crowd on the hill, but we were not in the right spot for this effect. The aircraft used by the snowbirds date from the early 1960's so who knows how long they will still be doing this. There have been questions about the age of the aircraft for some time.

We crossed again under the bridge and along the canal, and came back up the stairs. The Hare Krishnas now had a full live band going, including someone with an accordion, which seemed as out of place to me as a tuba in a blues band. (But what do I know.) We wanted to try our luck on Sparks street where there were supposed to be more food stands, but it was tough going just walking around. At Metcalfe we got trapped in the crowd which seemed stuck, and we just had to stand there for a while until it moved again. Once it got moving again we decided to head south and away from the crowds and the food, and try our luck elsewhere. Feet were getting pretty sore and we were getting overheated at this point so we headed towards home, and stopped at KS on the Keys for pizza, taking half of it home to eat for dinner. 

We watched the evening show on TV, and could hear the fireworks around us from various palces.